Shenanigans and tomfoolery rule in closing days of NCGA

In a flurry if activity late in the session, the Honorables in Raleigh pulled so many switcheroos, fast moves, and sleights of hand it would make a 3-card monte street hustler proud.  Take your eyes off the game for even a split second, and you will be left wondering what just happened to you.

Here are the low-lights of the waning hours of this year's long session that ended around 4AM Wednesday morning.

We told you last week about H373 which allows the leadership of the 4 legislative caucuses to setup their own shadow parties through something called "affiliated party committees".

This raised holy hell among the grassroots community who saw this as a direct attack on the state's political parties.  Activists held out some hope Governor McCrory would veto the bill.  Instead Tuesday evening, it appears the rest of your state government got in on the act.

Rather than facing a veto, legislators passed bill S119 which actually expanded the potential use of the affiliated party committee concept to include the Governor - thus letting him in on the action.  This will occur if Governor Pat signs H373.  Read this story at DailyHaymaker.com for more details.

Also, on Tuesday legislators attempted to ram through some legislation intended to limit the type of ordinances municipalities could enact.  While normally, we here at aShortChronicle see putting limits on government as a good thing, in this case it was done in a very irresponsible way.

Similar to what happened in H373, with S279 legislators also attached a controversial provision to something that really needed to pass - legislation to improve capabilities around fighting human trafficking through improved counseling.

The pushback against the municipal restrictions forced the entire bill to be pulled off the calendar on Tuesday.  In order to save the good parts, legislators had to roll back a previous vote in the Senate, pretend that vote did not happen, then re-vote on an earlier version of the bill that did not contain the offending municipal provisions.

That put a number of Republican Senators in the position of having to pull a "John Kerry" - meaning they were against the bill before they were for it.

More than 2 dozen Republican Senators had originally voted against the bill which sent it to a conference committee where the offending local government provisions were added.  To get the counseling portion of the bill passed they rolled back that vote and then voted for the original bill

All this was to clean up a mess that they had made themselves.

Then finally there was Senate Bill 313.

In this case legislators replaced a bill having to do with license plates with one having to do with legalizing industrial hemp production.

This one flew through the legislature in a single day  The biggest concern here was wanting to make sure hemp products did not get used to promote actual marijuana products.  Nevermind how they so nonchalantly bastardized the legislative process.

The bill passed both houses with near unanimous support.

Folks, this is your government.. For a legislative session that ran way too long, ending it like this is pretty darn sad. 


Update: Governor McCrory did sign H373 Wednesday.  Story here.

Has NCGOP Chairman Hasan Harnett become his own worst enemy?

As mentioned in the previous post, Saturday's NCGOP Executive Committee/Central Committee meeting in Greensboro turned out to be a doozy - and a marathon.

With multiple controversial topics on the agenda including votes on...

• proportional versus Winner Take All allocation of delegates in next year's presidential primary (the vote went with proportional)
• whether or not to take action against Rep David Lewis for his role in pushing through last week's controversial bill allowing NCGA leaders to setup separate committees with the powers of a political party (the item ended up being avoided due to a technicality)
• and selecting a new Executive Director (former AFP leader and Gov McCrory favorite, Dallas Woodhouse, got the nod)

Chairman Hasan Harnett started the day off by sending out a blistering email early Saturday morning.  That went over like a lead balloon and set the day off in a less than amicable direction.

Now, I'm not a trained negotiator, but I've got to think there is a chapter somewhere in Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People that says something along the lines of don't spit in someone's face if you want them to vote your way in just a couple hours.

Just sayin'...



Email from Hasan Harnett below...

ALL THINGS IN THE DARK GET EXPOSED IN THE LIGHT

To: Central Committee Members
To: Executive Committee Members
To: Republicans All Across North Carolina

THE GOOD NEWS 

To clarify to each of you...YES, the Central Committee will vote on and elect the next Executive Director for the North Carolina Republican Party without delay.

Our top prospective Executive Director Candidates are great and they have sacrificed their time, energy and treasure for this position. At the very least, these Candidates deserve a fair vote as we elect the next Executive Director.

THE BAD NEWS 
Republicans all across the state are outraged. Your voices have been heard. Like you, I am deeply concerned.

Rest assure, there are specific individuals (on the Central Committee) who will attempt to mute your voice and concerns by delaying or even stopping the vote as we elect the next Executive Director.

It is also perceived that specific individuals (on the Central Committee) will also attempt to use the following strategies and tactics which include:

1. Fear
2. Intimidation (lack of fundraising)
3. Emotional Disturbance (lack of trust, confidence, etc.)
4. Disappointment (personal or collective feelings) and,
5. Confusion

Just to be crystal clear, all of this is designed as an attempt to distract, stall, delay, thwart, postpone or even suspend the vote as we elect the next Executive Director. It this be true, what a shame.

CONCLUSIONS
Remember the State Convention? Remember the energy? What you should remember about me, in the face of all this chaos, I remain steadfast ready and willing to work with all Republicans; however, some are set on seeing us fail. We just all need to work together. 

YES, Voting Members of the Central Committee will vote on and will elect the Executive Director for the North Carolina Republican Party. I strongly recommend you go into the ExComm meeting knowing who our next Executive Director is.

Executive Committee Members, if the bad news and perception from up above is true, you will hear ALL about it. And if so, may the names of these select individuals be thrust forward into the light. They must be held accountable and responsible for purposely working hard against me, against you and the ultimate success of the North Carolina Republican Party.

Republicans All Across North Carolina, may you remember the scriptures of John 3:20 when it says...

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

Stay Tuned. God Bless You. God Bless America.

There will be War!

That very well may be the result of the Pearl Harbor style attack by NCGA electeds on the NCGOP apparatus yesterday with passage of H373.

Rep John Blust of Guilford County had this to say on Facebook Thursday evening after the vote.

"Just think - the measure was only released 24 hours ago. If it was something we needed to enact, why wasn't a bill filed which followed the normal process which those we represent could follow? Why would this matter be hidden even from members until the very last minute? Honorable people do not conduct the public's business this way. The attitude reflected by the leaders in carrying this out shows a profound disrespect not only for the other legislators, but for the people we represent. That cannot be disputed. If one disputes it, tell me why the matter was hidden until the last minute?"

Blust was referring to the inclusion in the bill of a provision that would gut the power and influence of the state's political parties by allowing legislative leaders to essentially take full control of the purse strings.  This provision was added as part of the conference report for H373 - a bill intended to move NC's primary date back to March to avoid penalties at next year's Republican National Convention for having the state primary too early according to national party rules.

The new provision would allow House and Senate leadership to form their own fundraising and campaign support committees.  Instead of the money going through the political parties, it would be controlled by legislative leaders directly.

It appears this is a direct response to the grassroots success at June's state NCGOP convention.  The election of Hassan Harnett and Michele Nix as Chairman and Vice Chair has upset the applecart.  Direct control of the purse is more important than ever for legislators who raise large sums from special interest groups who want to ensure it goes where it is "needed".

If that control can't be assured the money could dry up all together.

Party leaders and grassroots activists are not taking this lying down however.  An effort was underway Friday afternoon to encourage Governor Pat McCrory to veto the bill.

McCrory has not had a lot of success with the veto this legislature. However in this case it seems unlikely the House would have the votes to override one if he decides to use it.  The Republucan-led effort only passed the House by 3 votes (52-49) and relied on several Democrats to get it done.  There were also four Republican legislators absent yesterday afternoon who were actually there earlier in the day.  It appears this bill may have even been scheduled for an afternoon vote to ensure passage. At least one of those absent Republicans, John Bradford of Mecklenburg, indicated on Facebook Thursday evening that he likely would have been a 'no' vote.

So, why is all this happening now?

It may just be part of the typical shenanigans that seem to occur at the end of legislative sessions.  However, it may also have something to do with the imminent selection of a new NCGOP Executive Director.  Maybe legislative leaders see that choice not going their way, so this was a preemptive strike.

Regardless, it will make Saturday's Party Executive Committee meeting much more interesting.

Time to get the popcorn ready!

Update on Mi-Connection new internet speeds

We told you last week about the new download speeds on the way from Mi-Connection.  Well, now comes the official announcement.

Looks like the upgrade will be even more impressive than originally thought based on the company's earlier Facebook postings.

This upgrade is also definitely needed for the company to keep up with its competition.

We checked in with Standard Pacific, the developers of the new Davidson East neighborhood on NC73 that recently broke ground.  That neighborhood will be one of the largest new developments in town in several years.  It is a potential cash cow for new Mi-Connection customers.

The representative we spoke with said they will likely be making a decision on whether to go with Mi-C or Time Warner in the next 30 days.  One thing for sure, without this upgrade announcement Mi-Connectiob would be at a disadvantage to Time Warner and its new TWC Maxx product.

Announcement below...


MI-Connection to Offer Faster Internet Speeds

Some customers will see an increase of up to 275%

Mooresville, N.C. – MI-Connection, the cable and telecommunications system owned by the towns of Mooresville and Davidson, will increase residential Internet speeds as much as 275% around the November 16^th timeframe.  Current Internet customers, with a speed of 10Mbps or higher, will experience the faster speeds automatically, and at no additional monthly charge.  Please see the chart below:

“The recent investment we made to our network and infrastructure allows us to deliver these new speeds with even greater reliability,” said David Auger, CEO of MI-Connection. “We are thrilled we can do this for our customers.”

NCGOP dominated NCGA attempting to gut NCGOP

In breaking news out of Raleigh yesterday, legislators inserted language into a bill which effectively will allow party leaders to circumvent their actual parties by forming their own committees to control the money rather than having it go through the party.

This appears to be in response to the takeover of NCGOP party leadership by outsiders earlier this summer.

The NCGOP has been in turmoil since then with multiple senior staff leaving.

Make no mistake this recent effort is about money - who gets it and who controls it.

Below are the details from Adam Love...

HB 373 is up for a vote today. This is the bill that will change our primary date to be in accordance with the RNC rules, so we don't lose our delegates. 

The bad news is that Rep. David R. Lewis has added another section to the bill that sets up House and Senate "shadow" parties. This will undermine the NC GOP and will create havoc next year. Please call your representatives and ask section 163-278.8B be taken out of the bill. The vote is TODAY. 

Here is the newly-added text inserted by Rep. Lewis:

"§ 163-278.8B. Affiliated party committees.

(a) The leader of each political party caucus of the North Carolina House of Representatives and the Senate may establish a separate, affiliated party committee to support the election of candidates of that leader's political party. The affiliated party committee is deemed a political party for purposes of this Article."

Read that again: "The affiliated party committee is deemed a political party for the purposes of this article."

This is nothing less than the establishment of a new political party.  The NCGOP RNC Committeeman is trying to start his own political party! Why would he do this?

Call your NC House representative TODAY and demand that this language be stripped from the bill! By attaching this to HB 373, Rep. Lewis has effectively taken our RNC delegates hostage; if the bill fails completely, NC will lose many of its RNC delegates!

While you're on the phone, call Rep. David Lewis at 910-897-8100 and ask him WHY he is attacking his own party!

Catalyst Project up for discussion Monday night

About twenty residents gathered at the the Allen Tate office on Davidson's Main Street Monday evening to discuss their concerns with the proposed Catalyst Project to remake the town owned property on and around Town Hall with a potential mixed use development.

Also in attendance were Davidson Commissioners Rodney Graham and Beth Cashion.

After host Rusty Knox kicked off the meeting with his recollections of what it was like growing up in Davidson when it was much smaller place, he quickly outlined what are the major concerns with the project held by many in attendance - the project's size, location, and perceived rapid schedule.

The last item, concern with the schedule for the project, definitely rang true with many in the room.  It also brought out some of the evening's more interesting comments.  With one participant citing a media report saying the project was anticipated to be completed in the "next for years", Commissioner Cashion responded with "we're not sure where that came from".

Where that "four years" came from was a WSOC TV report that hit the airwaves last week.  The report featuring Mayor Woods can be seen here.  The accompanying article concludes with the following line:

"While there are no set deadlines yet, the town spokesperson says the goal is to try and get the project finished in the next four years."

Interestingly, that line is not actually in the video report.  It is only in the accompanying article.  Also, the "spokesperson" is not specifically named.

In a follow up conversation with Commissioner Cashion to find out what she meant when she said "we're not sure where that came from", Cashion indicated that both town public information officer, Christina Shaul, and economic development manager, Kim Flemming, denied telling WSOC that schedule.

The good news for opponents of the project is that regardless if anyone actually said that or if the WSOC report simply got it wrong, it does not appear to be the case.

Graham and Cashion also attempted to clarify what Commissioners really endorsed in their last meeting with consultants.

Much has been made of the introduction of the possibility of adding a 128 room "boutique" hotel to the plan - an idea that first appeared during the last discussion with the UNC SOG consultants.  What the commissioners "endorsed" during that meeting was not a plan that would definitely include a hotel, but rather the idea that plans for further investigation would include tearing down the current town hall rather than simply trying to modify/expand town hall and adding some parking.

The difference may sound subtle, but considering that much of the recent angst surrounding the project involves be inclusion of the hotel, it could be significant.  While the consultants indicated there was a lot of developer interest in a hotel project, if that concept generates a lot of community discontent, it seams that it could end up being a deal breaker.

There was also a good bit of discussion about other potential developments along South Main, the increase in traffic any development in that area will cause, and concern of the town getting into the development business.

The Commissioners indicated the town will have another public meeting on the project.  The tentative schedule for that is October 20th.  They also indicated the possibility of other community meetings to ensure all concerns are sufficiently aired.

As the first hour of the meeting wrapped up, this blogger had to head home, but one thing was clear - there will be a LOT more discussion before anything happens with the Catalyst Project.

Davidson Commissioners kick off monthly "coffee chat" series

Davidson elected officials held their first "coffee chat" at The Egg in The Saddler Square shopping center on Monday.  Roughly 40 people were said to have attended.

Special guests for this first event included NCGA electeds Sen Jeff Tarte and Rep John Bradford to give an update on goings on in Raleigh, and topics ranged from education spending, to toll roads, to the local Catalyst Project.

Based on how few people attended the previously scheduled "commissioner chats", this new format appears to be a raging success.  The earlier format occurred rather sporadically only on months that happened to have a fifth Tuesday, and the meetings were in the evening.  This new format will occur on the third Monday of the month from 9-10am.

Glad to see the town working to keep this kind of informal format alive.  This kind of up close and personal interaction with elected officials is one of the nice things about #smalltownliving!